Rays Wisely Not Concerned With Early Performance of Key Offseason Acquisition

Should the Tampa Bay Rays be worried about a key offseason acquisition not hitting the ground running in the majors last year?

Dec 17, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays Sr. Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Erik Neander talks with media during a press conference at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

As the Tampa Bay Rays get set for pitchers and catchers to report next month, the team has been very active this winter, reshaping the roster. While the team might want to contend in 2026, looking toward the future is always a goal of the franchise as well. 

There are a few franchises in the majors that can balance putting a contender on the field while also having an eye toward the future, as the Rays can. This is a team that always has one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, but they never use that as an excuse not to try to compete. 

The ability to evaluate and develop talent has always been a strength of the franchise, and they consistently have one of the best farm systems in baseball. One of the reasons for that is that Tampa Bay isn’t afraid to trade veteran talent on expiring deals to replenish the farm system when they need it. 

This winter, despite a desire to compete, the team traded All-Star slugger Brandon Lowe in a three-team deal that brought them back a solid package of prospects. With a couple of new additions, the team will be hopeful that one of them might be able to make an impact soon. 

Erik Neander recently spoke with Adam Berry of MLB about some of the struggles of new prospect Jacob Melton. 

“Wasn't the first, [won’t be] the last player to struggle in his early, limited, infrequent opportunity,”

Tampa Bay Wisely Not Concerned

Houston Astros left fielder Jacob Melton | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Melton certainly isn’t the first, and he undoubtedly won’t be the last prospect to have some struggles when making a debut. However, that first experience in the majors can really help a young player going into the following season, and the Rays will be hoping that is the case with their new outfield prospect. 

After some struggles with the Astros, he did perform well in September and cut back on his swings and misses, which plagued him a bit with Houston. Since Tampa Bay is bringing him into their system and they have some depth in their outfield, starting him in the minors might be the best course of action for them. 

However, there is certainly a scenario in which Melton has such a good spring training that the Rays have no other choice but to start him. He is a player who has the potential to hit 20 home runs while stealing 40 bases. That type of talent is hard to find, and it’s easy to understand why he has been regarded so highly as a prospect.